Meanwhile…
Night time in mega city I sector I, holographic billboards flickered with advertising above, casting colorful glows onto the streets below.
A pink-eyed brown haired woman dressed in a nice white and pink dress with a small black Jacket, looked around nervously and shyly. She checked her techy holographic watch, looking a bit worried.
Suddenly, a voice called out, panting. A young man with brown hair, green eyes, freckles, and a pair of glasses showed up.
“Sorry I’m late!” he said, catching his breath. “I know I was the one who called you out here, can’t believe I made you wait so long.”
She smiled. “Don’t worry, I just got here a couple of minutes ago too.”
The man straightened up, a smile forming on his face. “Shall we go for our date then? May?”
The woman, May, paused, blushing for a moment as her thoughts raced, ‘He’s just like I remember him.’
She smiled back at him. “Yes, Nathan.”
Nathan’s smile widened slightly, his glasses glinting in the neon lights, seeming to hint at something unsettling.
…
After a short walk, they walked through the doors of a restaurant. May looked a bit worried.
“I’ve never been to the inner rings before, so I’ve never seen a restaurant this fancy. Are you sure this is okay?” she asked.
By “inner rings,” May was referring to the inner and outer parts of the megacity. As one would expect, the standard of living decreased significantly as one moved from the center towards the walls. Life in the outer rings, though not life-threatening, was far more difficult. People had to do a lot more there just to scrape by.
Nathan smiled, reassuring her. “Don’t worry, it’s my treat.”
They made their way to a table near the window. Nathan pulled out a chair for May before taking a seat himself. A waitress approached, her digital tablet ready.
“Good evening. Can I take your order?” she asked with a polite smile.
Nathan picked up the menu and quickly looked through it. “We’ll start with the truffle risotto and the lobster bisque,” he said confidently. He glanced at May, who was still looking at the menu with hesitation.
“Go ahead, order whatever you like,” Nathan encouraged, smiling warmly. “I told you not to worry.”
May smiled back, feeling more at ease. “I’ll have the grilled salmon with asparagus, please,” she said, handing the menu back to the waitress.
The waitress nodded as she inputted their orders into her tablet. “Great choices. Your orders will be ready in just a minute,” she said before leaving the table.
As they waited, May leaned forward slightly, a bit of enthusiasm in her voice.
“So, how’s your job at the Blue Seals Guild going? I heard it’s really competitive to get in. You must be doing well if you can afford to bring me to a place like this.”
Nathan chuckled, adjusting his glasses. “It’s been challenging, but rewarding. The guild has high standards, but I managed to join them. And yeah, things have been going pretty well. What about you? How’s everything on your end?”
May’s eyes darted around awkwardly. “Well… it’s been good, but not as exciting as working for a prestigious guild. I’d love to hear more about what you do there. It must be thrilling!”
She shifted the topic, not wanting to trouble him with her own problems.
Nathan leaned back, a proud smile on his face. “Well, there’s always something new every day. We get to handle some of the most critical dungeon raids, and my team is amazing. But it’s not just about the action; there’s a lot of strategy and planning involved too.”
May listened intently, nodding along as he spoke. “It sounds incredible. Maybe one day, I’ll get to see you in action,” she said with a hopeful smile.
Nathan’s eyes softened. “I’d like that. Who knows? Maybe you’ll join the guild too one day.”
May let out a forced laugh, clearly she didn’t completely agree with him. “That would be something. But for now, I’m just happy to be here with you.”
Nathan sensed the lack of sincerity in her laughter and leaned forward, concern etched on his face. “May, are you okay?”
May looked up, a bit startled. “Me? Oh, I’m fine,” she replied, trying to muster a genuine smile.
Just then, the waitress arrived with their orders. “Here you go. Please enjoy your meal,” she said, placing the dishes in front of them with a friendly smile before leaving the table. freewёbnoνel.com
Nathan reached out and gently grabbed May’s hand, his touch warm and reassuring. “May,” he said softly, “you can tell me if something’s bothering you. I’m here to support you, and I’m willing to listen to whatever’s on your mind.”
May looked at him, a bit unsure as she asked, “Are you sure? I don’t want to come off as not being genuine. I’ve been hearing about a lot of young ladies hooking up with rich second- generation guys just because they’re looking for a life of comfort. I recently read some stuff online that suggests not all men are really cool with that sort of thing.”
“Getting chased after all because of their money.”
Nathan narrowed his gaze suspiciously, but it was hidden behind the glint of his glasses. Suddenly, he smiled and said, “If it’s you who wanted to take advantage of me, I wouldn’t mind.”
May looked slightly surprised, turning to face him with a mischievous look. “Oh, look at you. When did you become such a sweet talker?”
Nathan tilted his head slightly, a playful glint in his eyes. “Come now, you know me. I’d
gladly do anything if it would make you feel better.”
May paused, looking more surprised. Nathan tightened his grip on her hand slightly. “So tell me, what’s on your mind?”
May looked slightly downcast as she said, “You really won’t leave me, right?”
Nathan chuckled softly. “Oh, come on, I should be the one asking you that.”
May let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly as she said, “You know how when we graduated last year and you said we should get together, and I told you no because I had some personal problems to deal with?”
Nathan nodded, “Yeah, what about it?”
“You remember I awakened as a C-class summoner, right?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Nathan replied.
“Well, it caused my parents to have a huge fight when I unfortunately gave them the news. Turns out my father had been borrowing all the money he used to send me to the academy all those years, hoping I would awaken a powerful talent and join a top guild, get rich fast enough to pay all the cash back.”
She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, “They kept on fighting till they finally
got a divorce.”
“The pressure from the loan sharks was so much that my father ended up killing himself. And
my mother, unable to bear the pain, practically drank herself to death.”
She balled her free hand into a fist as she recalled the painful memory.
Nathan’s eyes grew cold as he listened to her story, in fact they couldn’t be colder, but the usual glint in his glasses hid the intensity of his gaze.